Back to Sunninghill: The Square

The Square Sunninghill is one of the original shopping centres of Sunninghill, Sandton. Located just off the northern extension of busy Rivonia Road, it boasts the Sunninghill branch of Mozambik Restaurant, the local Checkers and Checkers Liquor, plus a variety of useful neighbourhood stores, coffee shops, and restaurants. There is a Sasol garage, car valet, and pharmacy.

The centre has grown over time and several levels.  Near the top of the hill is the older part, which is also the lowest class part. There is a tiny parking area, perhaps the Square from which the centre derives its name. The Sasol garage occupies most of that. Around it cluster mostly fast food outlets and, perhaps appropriately, Cash Converters. The Ayoka supermarket and liquor store have closed, maybe due to competition from the Checkers at the lower level.

That top building has an upper story with mixed tenancy: A loan company, and adult shop (just the place to buy an adult!), a wig shop, tailor, and a lady doctor.

Lower down at the slope, that same building has a mezzanine level with three restaurants:  a chicken takeaway, the awful but popular Santi's, and a new Korean restaurant that occupies one staircase.
There are also a printers, an ethnic hairdresser and a tobacco shop.

The lowest level is undoubtedly the newest, and higher class. Three sides of shops almost surround a square parking area.  This is where you find the larger shops like Checkers and (new to us) Party's, and the Mozambik and new Wimpy restaurants.

We had not been there for some time, and there have been many changes, listed below.

Thought for the Week:

Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is you're stupid and make bad decisions.

A New Centre, OR What's in a Name?

Sandton has a new shopping centre: Pinnacle Walk!  (It might be a let-down to discover that it is the revamped, and now rebranded, old 90° on Rivonia. Corner of Rivonia Road and Kelvin Drive.)

Eccles of the Goon Show said, "Everybody's got to be Somewhere".  In the same way, every shopping centre has to have some name.  If the Marketing Department finds right angles unappealing, rename it to something else.  Even if it is not at the pinnacle of anything, nor does it include a walk of any kind.

The new Checkers (which occupies most of the centre) seems very popular. Checkers Liquor is now open too.  Cannafrica and Paul's Homemade Ice-Cream are opening tomorrow.

New on the Block, Movers and Shakers  Back to top

• Checkers Liquor, Shop 05 in Pinnacle Walk, Rivonia Rd – Liquor merchants: wide range of wine, champagne, spirits, beer, ice. Hire of glasses etc with orders. Now Open.
• Fight City Gym, Shop 60, Upper Level in Morning Glen Mall – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Boxing, Muay Thai, MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), Strength & Conditioning. Opened 1 August 2024.
• Glow 4 Events, Shop 61/62, Upper Level in Morning Glen Mall – Drone racing, gel-blaster arenas, RC-drift & race wars, smart portal target shooting, zing battles, UV sports arenas, under-18 discos/parties, ginger-beer pong. Opened 1 August 2024.
• Astro Spa, Shop S209A, First Floor in The Woods, Craighall – Nail studio, kids & baby spa, massage therapy, hydrotherapy, lashes and eyebrows, facials and more. Opened August 2024.
• ABSA ATM, Upper Level in The Square Sunninghill.
• Sazzy Hair Collection, 1st Floor in The Square Sunninghill – Wig Boutique: "Reliable services and quality wigs for trendy and fashionable customers." Instagram: @sazzyhaircollection, Facebook: Sazzy Hair Collection.
• Dr MC Masemola, MBChB (UP), Shop 10, 1st Floor in The Square Sunninghill – General Practitioner: accessible high quality medical care for people of all ages. Promoting the health and well-being of the local population.
• Cairo Tobacco, Shop 19, Mezzanine in The Square Sunninghill – Pipes, hubblies, and assorted imported tobaccos: Everything you need to ruin your health, make you stink, and annoy those around you.
• Galito's, Shop LG05, Mezzanine in The Square Sunninghill – Flame-Grilled Chicken meals in flavours from BBQ, Lemon & Herb, Mild, to Hot and Extra Hot Piri-Piri.
• Serendipity Collection, Lower Level in The Square Sunninghill – Handbags, fashion accessories, heels and Summer dresses personally selected and imported by the owner.
• Surasang, Shop 17, Mezzanine in The Square Sunninghill – Korean restaurant, BBQ and Hot Pot. Bibimbap: Rice bowl with vegetables, meat, and egg. Bulgogi: Marinated grilled beef. Tteokbokki: Spicy rice cakes in sauce.
• PostNet, Shop 27A,, Lower Level in The Square Sunninghill – A4 & A3 Printing, Wide Format & Plan Printing, Business Cards, Photo Printing, Name Badges, Rubber Stamps, Convenience Stationery, Packaging Material, Courier Services, Websites.
• Debonairs Pizza, Shop 33, Lower Level in The Square Sunninghill – Fast-Food Restaurant: Pizza, Juices, Soft drinks, Potato wedges. Delivery.
• Fishaways Sunninghill The Square, Shop 34, Lower Level in The Square Sunninghill – Fast Food Fish Restaurant and take-away.
• Steers Sunninghill The Square, Shop 34, Lower Level in The Square Sunninghill – Fast food steak and burger restaurant and take-away.
• fresh! Sunninghill, Shop 25, Lower Level in The Square Sunninghill – Bottled, purified water in sizes from 330ml to 10 litres. Purified ice. Purified water on tap for your refills.
• Party's, Shop 31, Lower Level in The Square Sunninghill – Huge one-stop shop for all party things. Balloons, streamers, masks, decorations. Also materials for crafts and hobbies.

How do We Relate to Technology?

From Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,
“I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.”

(thanks to Small Business guru Peter Carruthers)

Funny Language:  Back to top

If you have a lot of digging tools, does that mean that you have spades "in spades"?

Speaking of Technology...

Despite Douglas Adams, we can't avoid email.

Do you own a business? Or run a business? Or work in a business?

Either way, you might be keen for the business to survive. So that you continue to have income, no?

It costs a lot to get a new customer. On the other hand, keeping an existing customer should be easier. If you are not constantly working for them, you need to keep reminding them that you are still in business and ready when they need you.

The same would apply to people who have shown an interest in what you do but haven't bought yet. You need to keep reminding them.

How to do this? Email is by far the easiest and cheapest way.

A newsletter like this, giving information about what you do, and adding some value, can act as such a gentle reminder.

Of course, you can send emails individually. At least in the beginning. But as your list grows, you will want a system to automate the process.

How about an online email system that will let you store up to 2,000 contacts, free forever? One that will easily set up simple emails?  And email for free as often as you like?

If this sounds like a good deal, take a look at systeme.io.

Next month we will direct you to a free course on marketing using that platform.
 

Knocked on Heaven's Door:  Back to top

• Mr Price Gallo Manor, Shop 60 & 61 in Morning Glen Mall – Affordable clothing: Casual and formal wear: Men's, ladies, children. Footwear, shoes, accessories. Opened 29 March 2012. Was Upper Level.
• Wellness Massage & Therapy, Shop S209A in The Woods, Craighall – Chinese massage, herbal oil massage, essential oil massage, foot massage, reflexology, cupping, hot stone treatment, Quasha, ear candling.
• Ayoka Liquor Store in The Square Sunninghill – Bottle Store: Complete range of liquor. Was Upper Level.
• Ayoka Supermarket in The Square Sunninghill – All household essentials and groceries. Charcoal, firewood. Was Upper Level.
• Room 22 Dance & Night Club in The Square Sunninghill – No under 18s. Dress codes smart casual. No weapons allowed. Entrance on Upper level between Domino's Pizza and Baan Bootsbar Thai Cuisine.
• The Bar in The Square Sunninghill – Was in the Mezzanine level.
• Traditional Chinese Health Therapy Massage in The Square Sunninghill – Massage, reflex-ology, acupuncture, cupping, Qwasa, facial. Was on the Mezzanine passage in from the vehicle ramp.
• Chanson in The Square Sunninghill – Extensive Ladies clothing store: dresses, wedding, shoes, luggage and bags. No English spoken; no telephone. Was Lower Level.
• ICT Mobile Zone, Shop 33 in The Square Sunninghill – Repairs on Iphone, Samsung, Hauwei, Ipad, Tablet, Laptop and more. Accessories for All. Was Lower Level.
• JC Collection in The Square Sunninghill – Fashion Clothing and Accessories - was Lower Level.

You Know You're in South Africa when...

After the experience with Eskom, you are very surprised to hear of state corporations that actually advertise to get customers to use more of their product..

On Victimhood and Being a Good Person

Most of us want to be good, decent people. It's built into our DNA. It's the way evolution shaped us.  Unlike elephants, we aren't too huge to tackle. We don't have savage teeth and claws like lions and hyenas. We don't survive well on our own. Our ancestors' survival strategy was to cooperate in groups. How successful was that? Overwhelmingly. We've taken over most of the planet, and driven thousands of other species to extinction. And we continue doing so.

Cooperation requires a degree of empathy, some caring and concern for each other. So, it is natural that it tugs at the heartstrings to see a destitute woman begging with a child at the roadside. When someone is hurt or harmed unfairly, we take their side. We rush to help when there is a disaster.

Unfortunately, the unscrupulous, the criminal among us have learned to game the system. The child with the beggar is often not her own, but one she hired for the job. She has discovered by A/B split testing that, with a child, she gets more donations. That the child is inhaling toxic traffic fumes does not matter to her.

Jacob Zuma sold our country to the Guptas. He and his gang looted the public purse. He did his best to wreck the criminal justice system to prevent prosecution. More than anyone else, he is responsible for South Africa being well on the path to a failed state. Yet he has successfully cast himself as a victim, persecuted by his enemies. This explains the phenomenal growth of his MK party. That and the corrupt and criminal flocking to his banner, hoping he will protect them from the law.  One has only to look at the Rogues Gallery he has assembled in Parliament.

We must not let our empathy and caring blind us when the unethical abuse those wonderful traits to manipulate us!

Overheard at the Vet's Checkout

"What a lovely dog!  What kind of crossbreed is he?"

"We never saw his parents; probably German Shepherd and Bull Mastiff.  And there may be some Maltese Poodle in him."

"You're joking!  Maltese in a dog that size?"

"They say you are what you eat. From the remains, we think he had one the other day."